


Fireworks

by ultrahotpink



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: Budding Love, Civil War, F/M, Fireworks, Fourth of July, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 01:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6590869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultrahotpink/pseuds/ultrahotpink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the fourth of July, and Mary seeks Jed out to watch the fireworks with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MercuryGray](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercuryGray/gifts).



July 4th, 1862  
Mary moved through the crowd with excitement. She had always loved to watch the fireworks. There was something magical about them. The way they glittered in the night sky.  
She had thought to come across Jed amongst the crowd so that they might stand and watch them together, but he was nowhere to be found. 

She looked across the street at Mansion House, to see one window glowing in the upper floors. 

Mary frowned. He had seemed restless since the President’s visit. They joked, and he still asked for her presence during surgeries, but there was something stilted in their discourse. As though he was holding back.

She thought of him, locked up in his room by himself and suddenly felt herself moving across the street and walking through the hospitals quiet corridors and up the stairs to his room.

She stood outside his room and inhaled nervously. She hadn’t been in there since the night they’d saved Aurelia’s life. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before knocking at the door. 

“Yes, what is it?” Jed barked from the other side.

She squeezed the door knob nervously. “It’s only Mary.”

There was a moment of silence before his response. “Come in.”

Mary opened the door to see him hunched over his desk, writing furiously. She shut the door lightly, smiling at his all too serious expression. He looked like a cross school boy.

“Is everything alright? Is there an emergency with one of the patients?” He slowed his writing, turning towards her.

“Everything’s fine with the patients. I merely came to see if you would take some reprieve. There’s a celebration happening below.” She moved towards him tentatively. 

Jed shook his head. “I have several days of notes to catch up on. The fighting near Richmond has set me back a bit.” He turned back to the papers in front of him.

Mary moved beside him, leaning against the opposite wall. “Perhaps you may stop for a moment to watch the fireworks with me?” 

Their eyes met, and she saw a flash of something that she could not name. Was he startled, was it anger, was he annoyed, upset? She couldn’t read him.

He looked out the window, directing his intensity away from her. “I’ll be able to see them from here.”

“It might do you good to go out and enjoy the night air”

He waved a hand at her. “I’ve seen fireworks before. And I haven’t the time.”

His tone was short with her. Was it possible that she had angered him? “Have I upset you by coming here?”

“I am simply trying to catch up on my work while the house is a bit quieter,” he growled, setting his pen down sharply.

Mary flinched before straightening her posture. “Very well, I merely came to see if you would care for some company, but I can see you’re in a strange mood, so I will bid you good evening Doctor.” Her heart sank as she walked towards the door.

“Wait,” Jed’s voice halted her progress. He stood, shaking his head lightly before moving towards her. “I’m sorry for my curt replies. I get so focused on my work that sometimes I have a hard time breaking myself free. I am sorry, please.” He indicated to his newly vacated desk chair. “How are you on our great nation’s birthday?”

Mary moved to sit on his chair. It still held his warmth and the briefest hint of his sandalwood soap. The scent was so masculine, so him. It comforted her to smell it. “I have always loved celebrating our independence. Everyone always seems so jovial. Except apparently Jedidiah Foster, who toils away.”

His lips pursed together thoughtfully, as he sat on the bed. “Forgive me but, it feels strange to celebrate the forming of our country when we’re currently undergoing such turmoil.”

“You may be right. It is perhaps, a little peculiar to celebrate with an underlying current of tension present. But it wouldn’t do to be serious all of the time. Even during war. And I for one am most looking forward to the fireworks.”

“Chemistry, physics, and magic in action.” Jed spoke, his hands opening as though they were fireworks exploding.

Mary smiled. It was strange how such a few kinder words and small movement of his hands could make her feel so much better than only moments before. “Yes. There is always something wondrous in them isn’t there?” 

The band outside the window struck up, playing The Gem of the Ocean, a fitting tribute to the occasion.

“That must mean that they’re starting. I suppose you’re right. Your window has a fine view.” She stood, moving to his window to open it. She struggled, and Jed appeared at her side.

“Here. It can be tricky.” He wrestled the window from side to side.

She couldn’t help but notice his lean muscles through his thin linen shirt as he fought the window to move upwards. It relented and he pushed it up with a satisfied sigh, before stepping back.

She moved to stand beside him, their arms lightly brushing. She didn’t know why she had only wanted to watch the fireworks with him, but now, standing side by side, she knew that there was no other place she would rather be in this moment.

The music came in more strongly now, washing over them. “I think it’s good to celebrate today. It reminds us what we’re fighting for.” Mary scanned the crowd below, looking at all of the joyous observers.

“The entirety of our country’s future? It’s a heavy burden,” he glanced at her with a half-smile.

She met his gaze. “Contemplating the future of anything can be heavy or it can be hopeful, if you let it.” 

“Do you think we have a reason to be hopeful of our future?” He breathed.

Mary’s pulse quickened. Suddenly a firework sprang into the sky, bursting before them. They turned and looked out and a new thrill passed though Mary as it rose and without thinking, she grabbed Jed’s hand. 

Jed looked at their joined hands and their eyes caught again. They smiled. He brought her hand to his mouth and delicately brush his lips across it. In that moment, she knew that he understood her answer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the lovely MercuryGrey for suggesting this prompt, and tvsn for giving me the courage to post this. Please feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos if you enjoyed it!
> 
> Also, here's a link to the Wikipedia page for The Gem of The Ocean, in case you're unfamiliar with the piece of music that inspired this, (as I was).
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_the_Gem_of_the_Ocean


End file.
